


Saviour of the Dreaming Dead

by scarletSumac



Category: Warframe
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, Multi, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2019-05-09
Packaged: 2019-06-16 16:06:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15440706
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/scarletSumac/pseuds/scarletSumac
Summary: Two operators, falling, drifting, silent and slow. Towards each other, loving with all their hearts in a universe sundered by war.Things can get complicated when this happens. Things get even more complicated when their frames love each other too.





	1. Pilot Light

You spend this night drifting above Jupiter. 

The stars glimmer and shine, lighting the darkness of space.

Kneeling at the viewing window of your personal quarters, you think. A steaming pot of tea on a tray beside you, and a porcelain cup in hand.

The meditation area was your favourite part of this ship. Some preferred to fly around the solar system, visiting planets and moons. Some preferred to fight, to kill, just as they were trained to do. You didn’t prefer anything really. You just did what Lotus told you. It was all better than being asleep.

You sit at the window for a while, watching the stars blink at you. You watch them. You see someone’s ship go by, heading for one of the planetary nodes. 

There’s a good chance that Lotus would disapprove of you being out of your somatic link pod so often. Yet here you are in your personal quarters, while your frame remains outside. It’s a short jog back to your pod, and it’s not as if it’s difficult to get into. 

It’s a quiet sky tonight. Good for thinking. 

So you do. You call up this stream of thoughts. One that you’ve looked at pretty often these past few days.

It’s been twenty-seven days since you heard the rumour. That all frames had sentience, that they could all feel and think and if they had control over their bodies, they would move. 

The news didn’t come as a revelation to you. You’ve always thought that Mirage had sentience. You could always feel her expressing pain, anger, sorrow, joy. When you linked with her you could always feel her there.

You get up, walk outside your quarters, and come face to face with your own frame. 

She stands in the arsenal, her face rounded white mask with curled protrusions. She has pink and lilac skin and bone white armour protruding from her arms and legs. You look up at her face and see beady pink eyes, just watching you work. 

Mirage.

You remember the first time linking with her, your first time awake in… a long time. Taking your first steps in a frame. It was like you were walking through water, an alien sensation, but familiar. You remember stepping from within the cryopod, and a figure before you, backlit by the lights. You don’t remember who it was, but you remember taking their hand. 

Your vision was blurry, but you barely remember being led to another room, and then seeing yourself, an operator in a transference pod. 

You remember unlinking, and then you really woke up. 

During the brief time that you were linked with her though, you could feel… something. A nudge at your mind. As if someone within was saying, _Hello, I’m already here._

You wander off to the foundry to check on your new weapon progress. 

It’s been almost a year since you were woken, and you’ve come far. It took you minutes to settle into your frame, feeling the familiar sense of returning, like putting on a well-worn and favoured coat. But it’s taken longer to feel as if you’re working in tandem, and not just controlling a body from afar. 

You’re making good progress, it’s nearing completion. You look at your frame again. 

The thing about Mirage that you liked most was that she had a playful side. Though she made no sound, you could always hear the echoes of a wind chime laugh in the back of your mind when you linked with her. 

It was there when you took down several foes at once, it was there when she made her doppelgangers, and it turned from a giggle to a wild cackle when you threw a Prism. 

You enjoyed it. It was a little like you. Or what you’d like to do if you were perhaps a little more outspoken. 

Lotus tended to call you the quiet one. And it’s not as if she was wrong. You barely spoke to the other Tenno. Not unless you were paired up for missions. Or unless they spoke to you first. 

It was better that way, you thought. Less possibilities for awkward conversation. 

You look at Mirage, standing quietly in the arsenal. Her eyes gleaming with silent delight. Sometimes you wondered what her voice would be like if she could speak. If the infestation that made her never ravaged her vocal cords. 

You think she could be your best friend. 

You’re about to turn back to the foundry when you hear Lotus calling you. 

_Tenno, I have a new mission for you. I’ve found a new intel site, hidden away on Venus. Protect me while I extract it._

“When do I begin?”

_Not yet. You’ll need a partner for this one. Head to the Kronia relay to meet him._

A partner.

You suppose it’s one of those missions then. You’re already prepared for the awkward small talk. 

You do missions like this often, and you were paired with others for any number of reasons. It hasn’t been too hard though. You just smiled and nodded when they spoke to you. Or replied with whatever two-word statement was appropriate for the situation. Besides, you were trained not to speak much during missions. 

You suppose the new weapon would have to wait, you think, and you take a quick jog back to your link. 

==============================

Your arrival at the relay was a quiet one. 

You don’t visit the relays nearly as often as you want to. Usually you’re only here to meet teammates. But rarely do you just explore the place, or even just rest here for long on your way to another planet.

You step out of your ship and into the hangar, half empty at this time.

Apart from the usual civilians, you see Khora and her kavat, you forgot its name, following Oberon and Titania. They nod as they pass you. You pause for a moment to reach a hand towards the kavat. 

It sniffs at your hand, and then nuzzles its snout into your palm. 

“She likes you.” and in her low sultry voice you can hear her smile.

You look at Khora. “She’s cute.” 

“Of course she is. My Venari is lovely.” she says rather proudly, she glances up ahead and sees Oberon beckoning to her.

“No time to chat, I’ll see you around.” she says, wiggling her fingers in farewell. 

You nod. 

_Venari. That’s what it’s called._

You remember Khora’s operator. A pretty brunette with sharp features and piercing green eyes. She’s the newest one of you, only woken about a month ago. This must be one of her first few missions out of rehabilitation training.

You wander further into the concourse. 

Mag and Nova are both speaking with Baro. More likely than not just arguing over prices.

You look around. The calm blue of the concourse feels welcoming, and the few civilians wandering about barely give you a glance as they walk by. 

Your eyes land on a frame just leaning against a pillar. That must be it.

His frame is black and white with accents of blue, and he tips his hat when you approach. 

(You feel something. A gentle prod at the back of your mind. You ignore it.)

“Ah, Mirage. Lotus paired us again.”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. I don’t think I’ve worked with you nearly enough.”

“I think we’ve only had two missions together so far.”

“A pity” he says, brushing some imaginary dust off his shoulder. “I did enjoy our last mission.”

“As did I.”

You liked working with Limbo. He’s an excellent duelist, and an even better shot. You worked well together, finishing missions in record time. 

You wonder why Lotus didn’t put you together more often. 

He’s saying something, and you just. Nod. He begins walking back to the hangar, and you follow. 

(That’s odd.)

You couldn’t register what he said. There’s something about his voice.

No. 

Not his voice. 

Your frame. 

You feel… _something._

The barest hint of something that reminds you of soaking yourself in a tub of warm water after a long day. A distant emotion that makes tiny butterflies flutter in your chest. 

You feel a pulse in the depths of your mind. And for an instant you truly see through Mirage’s eyes, and see Limbo in a different light.


	2. Ballad of Awakening

A shared mind is never a quiet one.

Even though you’re sure the divide is at least ninety-five percent you, you can always feel her there, floating within this space. The link that joins you lets you control her as if moving your own body, something that’s become second nature by now. 

But no matter how high the sync rate, that number to you is never a hundred percent. 

She is always here.

You suppose that’s why you are a little distracted during your mission. Sure, you and your doppelgangers shoot down the Corpus crewmen with little difficulty, and Lotus is almost done extracting the information she needs. 

But you can’t help but glance at Limbo every now and then.

You nearly miss a MOA sneaking up on you. 

And you say sneaking, but really it’s shrieking and running, and you somehow didn’t notice. 

By the time you aim your guns at it, it’s been frozen in space and fizzling as a dome of white and blue comes up around you. 

“You alright there?” he asks over the comms. 

“I’m fine.” you say, as a well-placed bullet drops the MOA to the ground in a pile of fried circuits.

You feel another prod. And you look at him again. 

He’s lowering his gun as he wanders towards you, dispersing the dome. 

“You sure you’re alright?”

You spot some movement just behind him, and you lean a little to your left to shoot a Corpus tech trying to sneak up on him. 

“I’m fine. We have a mission to complete.”

_Excellent work, Tenno, we've got all the data now. Head to extraction._

“Right on time.” he says, and you picture a smirk in his voice.

He does have a rather nice voice, magnetic and smooth and proper, but with dips and faded bits, a product of speaking through the frame, no doubt. 

You wonder what his operator sounds like.

“It’s been a pleasure working with you.” He says, bowing and tipping his hat, stopping you just before you get onto your ship.

“It has.” you say, smiling a little despite yourself. 

“If you ever need my assistance, please feel free to call. I do enjoy our little adventures.”

You nod, watching him step into the launch door. “I’ll see you around.”

As you watch his ship depart and you step into your own orbiter, you wonder what happened. 

The distractions are so unlike you. Your training made you focused - excised the part of you that felt pity or sadness when you killed something. It was just a movement, fluid and practiced and smooth. You reach for your gun, you aim, you pull the trigger.

You’ve run these missions dozens of times. How could this be different?

A voice chimes in. _Operator? Ordis wonders…what are you thinking about?_

You don’t respond. Brushing it off could be the best course of action for now. 

But of course just as you think this, you feel another nudge. It has the sensation of someone smiling and shaking their head. 

 

==============================

This was simply a conundrum. 

This damned thought has occupied most of your mind space for the past hour and made you nearly walk into your various equipment when you paced around your ship. 

No, scratch that, you did walk into the foundry’s worktable and knock over your pile of tools. And you just grumbled silently and picked them up (while a wind chime laugh twinkled in the recesses of your mind).

 _Not funny…_ you think back, and the laugh seems to get a little louder.

The pacing continues. And you’re torn between unlinking from your frame for some privacy or just thinking loudly until she responds with something that isn’t laughter. 

So far she’s just been giving you nudges that feel like she’s smirking. And it isn’t helping you with this problem. 

In fact, why are you thinking so hard on this? This isn’t really that much of a problem. It’s nothing compared to the Grineer hordes chasing you or the Corpus’ attempts at gunning you down or even the threat of a sentient invasion. This is minuscule in comparison. 

Because the 'big problem’ is just wondering whether to ask Limbo to join you on Earth. 

You were looking for a partner to complete a bounty with you, and you thought his skills would be very helpful. It’s only been two days since you last saw him.

You can feel her giggle again, just as you feel another pulse in your chest.

Fuck it. You head to navigation, selecting Limbo’s contact along the way.

“Mirage? So nice of you to call. Did you miss me already?” he jests, and you can hear the grin in his voice.

“I need a partner for a bounty on Cetus, care to join me?” you ask, then realising you added a flirty lilt to your voice. 

“Gladly.”

“I’m on my way there. Can we meet in a few hours?”

“I can be there in two.”

 

He arrives in exactly an hour and fifty-seven minutes. And finds you standing at Nakak’s stall, watching the girl try to sell some young boys an Excalibur mask. He slips into place beside you, hands clasped behind his back.

“Shall we?” he asks, cape billowing a little in the gentle breeze.

“Let’s go.” you reply, and catch yourself using that flirty tone again. 

There’s a pulse again. And you can feel Mirage’s heart begin to thump harder in her chest.

You have to stop a moment to force it to settle down. 

“What’s the matter?” he asks, voice just barely tinged with worry.

“It’s nothing, let’s head out.” you reply, and continue heading for the plains. 

There doesn’t seem to be other Tenno around today. You’re alone with Limbo this time, though you do pass Zephyr on the way out. She’s just wandering the streets, just looking at the fabric stretched overhead.

You head to the huge gates. You enjoy stepping through the double doors, the grandiose thing. It feels so ceremonial, like you’re a special hunting party or an expedition heading out, ready for adventure.

The outer door greets you, and you both unholster your guns. 

The countdown begins, and you take a last glance at Limbo, just in time to see him look away from you. 

_Why would he-_

Hold that thought, the doors are open.

You both sprint and leap into the midday sun, out amongst the tall grasses and rolling hills.

A sea of pale brown and terracotta awaits you. And you hear Konzu’s voice over your comms, directing you to a Grineer encampment about three hundred meters north-west. 

With azure skies above you both dart past a series of rock outcroppings, jumping and spinning past a small lake, catching a glimpse of the shimmering waters. 

You head over a small hill and find the entrance to a cave, barely hidden amongst the stone.

The doors don’t seem to be guarded for now, and you both dash in. 

You look into the cave system, and with a last look at each other you step forward.

You take your first positions. 

And so the dance begins, twirling around each other like streamers, with the sparks of gunfire and the glow of energy to light your way. 

After a few more Grineer are downed, you hear it, the laughter in the back of your mind slowly growing louder. It bubbles and surges within your throat and you try and cough a little to suppress it.

The laugh grows into a cackle and it echoes around your head, like light bouncing off mirrors. 

You’re used to this. Your silence and her amusement.

Though there’s something else there. If you weren’t so used to the laughter you might have missed it, this tiny flash of emotion. 

It feels… fragile. Like a gilded jewelled statuette. Despite the hordes coming at you you manage to look at it. A blip of what feels like a pounding heart, and a suppressed urge to turn around. 

_Oh. Not again…_

You don’t look this time, and suddenly the urge to look gets stronger. There are at least a dozen Grineer charging at you, this distraction is most unwelcome. 

_Don’t look._

You can hear the sounds of his shotgun going off behind you, just over the staccato of your own twin pistols. 

_Don’t look._

You can’t look. You don’t know why Mirage wants you to, one of her tricks maybe? Not likely. She knows better than to do this on a mission. But the feeling in your chest is growing stronger, the prodding from her getting more incessant. 

So you give in. You look.

And your jaw nearly drops. 

You see Limbo, mid-float behind you. As if time slows to a trickle you watch as he tears the planes apart, unleashing a dome of rift energy, white with faint streaks of blue. You watch as he lands back on his feet, proud and elegant, watching as the Grineer fall upon making contact with the dome. You watch as he takes down the Lancer that made it through with a good shot to the chest.

He looks amazing.

You feel your heart pounding loud in your chest, a steady beating drum. You feel… something at the back of your mind. A feeling of something swelling like the crest of a wave, and then collapsing into a sigh.

_Oh. Oh no._

You know this feeling. 

The feeling of butterflies and the sighs of longing, the racing heart and the flood of thoughts. 

_Oh, Mirage. You love him._

==============================

You think back on it in your orbiter later on. 

The feeling is an odd one. Made even stranger by the knowledge that it’s not even you. You feel the effects of her longing, you hear her sighs and fake shy giggles, you feel her heartbeat loud in your shared body. 

You didn’t realise frames could feel like this too.

Honestly, the only reason you could recognise this is from your rather pathetic week-long crush on Esperus. And that was a long time ago, during your first days in your frame. 

You remember that. A little flash of memory.

A silly girl then, how old were you? You don’t recall. But you vaguely remember the Orokin training room, sparring with the other Tenno, practicing controlling your frames. You remember white walls with lines of gold, and a floor of slightly padded grey.

You remember seeing him. The pale brooding boy, him with his slightly regal voice and his roguish charm. In his frame his voice took on a slightly raspy edge, you remember thinking it was cool.

You were brought in with some others, and took turns sparring with each other. You remember getting pinned to the mat by the dark haired boy with darker eyes, and his voice saying: “Sorry… pushed too hard.”

They had… something like the transference pods then, by the sparring ring. They never told you what those were, you just remember being told to step inside, and you remember closing your eyes, and opening them in another body.

You remember seeing Esperus step into the pod across from you. And you saw Loki’s frame awaken.

That was the start of it. You remember that. You also remember giving up six days later, when you saw two others in an embrace being broken apart by your overseers. 

 

You still wonder how long Mirage has felt like this. You don’t recall- no wait. You do. 

You remember your first mission with Limbo. One of your first few out of rehabilitation training. You remember the sudden intake of breath when he first walked towards you with Volt. You remember brushing it off as nervousness.

The shy giggling started on your second mission together, just the two of you. You somehow thought it was Mirage just being herself. 

_Operator, the system needs you. Will you begin another mission?_

You do.

You go it alone for a few days, just running through your missions - some Lotus gave you, some you went for yourself. You did need more weapon components. And things calmed down for the most part. Mirage stopped poking and prodding you. How could she, when there was no one else to look at?

You even run a mission with Khora, finally getting to see her in action. 

She was good, and fast. Her whip charged the air around you when she struck something, and you could feel it like static pricking your skin.

It’s a good distraction, nice to have a clear - well, mostly clear - mind.

And then one week later you get a transmission.

_Operator, you have a new transmission from Limbo. Would you like me to play it?._

“Yes.”

Immediately you feel her prodding, your heart racing. 

“Hello, Mirage.” he says as the holoscreen comes up, and you see him tip his hat at you.

“Hey there.” you respond, again with the flirty tone, that should probably stop.

“I have to make a few runs to Pluto, I have some materials I need to find. I could use a partner?”

You smile despite yourself, and you feel another sigh. “Sure.”

“Excellent! I’ll meet you there.”

 

Mirage needs to stop distracting you. 

But at the same time, you find this… sad. 

She’s a frame, she won’t be able to tell him, nor will she be able to act on it. All she can do it think loudly enough for you to know. For you to bring her to work with Limbo, run the missions with him.

You don’t even know if the other frames have the same sentience that Mirage does. Or if they ‘speak’ to you like she does. Do they feel the blips and prods too? Or is there just silence?

You can’t say. 

You don’t know what to say. 

 

It takes a few missions with him to realise that you are doing this for her. You accept mission after mission with him so that she may be close to him. On the tiny chance that he’ll reciprocate. You wonder if she knows you do this out of pity. 

There’s a connection each operator has with their frame. You’re sure of it. Something that ties each pair together, a perfect match, something that prevents each frame from being used by anyone else. 

It’s that connection that lets you feel for her, as you’re sure she feels for you. 

That’s why you’re pairing up with Limbo so often. It’s just for her. 

Even though Limbo - or actually, his operator - is becoming more and more of a friend to you. Even though you have accidentally neglected sleep just to talk to him over your comms. He’s funny, he’s clever and witty, and he has a rather nice laugh. And you don’t know what he looks like. 

_That doesn’t matter though_ , you think to yourself. This isn’t for you, it’s for her.

It’s just for her.

==============================

There he was. 

The one she loved.

Him with his bright blue and dazzling black. You watched him dance through the crowd of infested, all grasping, all clawing, eternally hungry, their madness left them hollow. 

And you watch them being cut down by slashes of a sword. Spilling their muddied blood on the ground below. You watched him swap to a shotgun in one fluid movement and take down two more leaping down from the branches above. 

You feel a pulse where her heart would be, and a surge of feeling washes through you. You swear that somewhere in your head you hear the echoes of a sigh. 

You rolled out of the way in time for two of the creatures to slam into each other, doing a quick spin to shoot them both down. A quick reload later, and you were back on your feet. 

The Lotus’ voice calls out through your comms. _Head to extraction._

And you two run. You head up the ramp and through a cave system, with a series of infested runners chasing you. A leap, and they are far behind. Another leap, and you don’t see them anymore. 

As you step onto the landing platform, a little breathless and smiling. You feel a tug as he takes your hand. 

He bows, tips his hat, and steps up to his ship. 

You feel another pulse, but this time, you aren’t quite sure if it’s just your frame’s anymore. 

 

Later in your ship you think on it in your quarters, Mirage standing watch outside your door. And you look at a hologram, one that was taken by Ordis, the silly thing, while he was monitoring you on a mission. 

You look at him again. Him and you. Him with his blade through a Grineer's chest and you tossing a prism through a doorway. 

A pulse. A sigh. And you know you’ve fallen too.


	3. The Changing Game

About a month has passed since your realisation. Nothing much has changed.

You still run the missions Lotus gives you, you still call him and talk to him from your orbiter. Sometimes you run missions together and make inside jokes at each other while you kill things.

You still think ‘m’thanks’ is hilarious.

Well… no, now that you think back on it, things have actually changed a lot. 

You never really spoke to anyone much before. Well there was Jathi, Mag’s operator. Your batch mate from before the war. You’d consider her your closest friend. Though usually your conversations usually revolved around training and war stories. 

You don’t talk to her much anymore, other than to check in on each other once every few months.

But Limbo’s operator is still on your mind. 

And you’re still pacing your ship between the equipment, trying not to hit anything. 

You wonder what he looks like. And you try and recall some faces, many hazy from old memories. You can remember pieces of them, the eyes or a nose or the hair they had then. But you haven’t seen any other operators, other than what you remember from your batch, and Khora’s when you went to wake her up.

There were others too. But… your memories before your rescue are hazy. And your memories from the war are hazier still.

You can’t even consider if he feels the same. He won’t. 

You know he won’t. 

Still you look at the holoclips Ordis took. Him and you, fighting side by side. There’s one where he’s bathed in pink light and lasers from your prism. He’s got his gun up, firing at the Corpus running your way.

You run a finger over the image and feel the pulse of a sigh, knowing full well that it was both Mirage and you. 

It’s hard not to think about him now. Every mission you run without him doesn’t feel the same. There’s still a mildly playful side to it though, Mirage still laughs as the bodies hit the floor. When you summon your doppelgängers, she still nudges you to bow and twirl and be unnecessarily dramatic. 

But there isn’t the same fun feeling of being beside him. 

This little crush of yours has lasted over ten weeks now, and you’re not even sure if it’s real. Or even if you should pursue him. 

How would you even pursue him? You remember blips of your Orokin masters and their courtship. The bright red and pink blooms, the colourful boxes wrapped in ribbon, the wild (and far too loud) proclamations of love. 

Actually, that’s rather Mirage’s style…

But… love? 

By the stars, do you even love him? Like really love him?

You think about him again, his voice, his charm, his nice laugh… and proceed to walk into your foundry again.

And there’s her laugh again. 

_Shut up. You like him too…_

At least this time you didn’t knock anything over. 

You hear Ordis’ voice chime in again, wondering what you’re thinking about. And again you don’t reply. 

You’ve had way too many instances of these pacing episodes. You’ve even been avoiding collecting materials for new gear.

In fact, that’s probably a good idea. Just a quick farming mission to Saturn, and hopefully you’ll be able to collect more than a handful of Orokin cells. 

You set your course and let Ordis find you a squad. 

Honestly you wouldn’t even mind going this one alone too. It would be a good distraction, something to stop you from thinking about him. Although you’re certain that she’ll bring up ‘m’thanks’ and you’re going to laugh. 

You permit yourself a little smirk. 

_Operator, I’ve found you a partner._

You check navigation. 

Oh. It’s Khora. It’s been a while since your last mission with her. 

This should go wonderfully. You just hope you don’t suddenly burst into laughter and embarrass yourself…

==========

As expected, Khora and Venari did an excellent job. 

She has a personality that could flood a room and the confidence to outshine the sun. Not to mention the warmth that lets you come out of your shell a little. You were making snarky comments at your enemies the entire time.

Now, you walk through the Kronia relay, laughing and chatting about a mission well done. 

You’re wandering through the west wing when her voice dips low, and she leans in a little.

“Mirage, darling you seem a little troubled.”

You turn to her. Khora’s looking at you like a curious bird, head tilted to one side. 

“It’s nothing. I’m fine.”

“You’re barely twirling today. I liked your twirling.” 

“I’m just a little tired...”

Khora laughs, low and haughty. “Right. So what’s on your mind? Or who, even?”

You suppose your silence is enough of a hint for her to giggle and lean in closer. 

“Oh my stars, is it really a who? Who is this dear boy? Or girl? I don’t judge.”

“N-no one...”

“Come on sweetie, you can tell me.” You can feel her smirking and winking at you. 

You look over, and after a few seconds you sigh.

“Um... Limbo?”

“Really? Well I don’t blame you, he’s very charming. And tall! I like my partners tall too. You’d look adorable together.”

“Uhh-”

“I mean really, he is kinda cute. And that little hat thing! Adorable! It even matches your twirling. You made a good choice.”

“You really think so?”

“Of course.”

You giggle a bit. “I- I don’t know, though… He’s very sweet and all but I- I don’t think he feels the same.“

“Do you see how he looks at you?”

“What?”

“You don’t notice him glancing at you every so often?”

“Uhh… no?”

“Oh, don’t tell me you’ve been avoiding the poor boy.”

“I haven’t! I just… haven’t gone on a mission with him in a few weeks…”

“Well go then! I could be your wingman you know” she says, nudging your side. 

You laugh. “That’s okay, I should be fine.”

You aren’t sure how true that is, and you don’t know what would happen. You might be overly flirtatious, you might be too awkward to do anything to win his heart, or you could pretend everything is normal and let this little crush fade. 

_As if this feeling is going to go anywhere anytime soon._

Khora eventually has to leave. “I’m going to meet Valkyr on Cetus.” she says, and practically sashays away, wiggling her fingers in farewell. 

“Don’t be shy, darling, he’s going to love you!” she says over her shoulder as she goes. 

You can feel yourself blush. 

_Is he interested in me?_ you wonder. If what Khora said was anything to go by, then… you might even have a chance. 

You return to your orbiter, heart pounding as you call up your contacts list. 

Your hand hovers over his name, and with a deep breath, you open a channel. Almost immediately, you get a response.

“Mirage?”

“Hey Limbo, are you busy?”

“Not at all. In fact I just returned from a mission.”

“You won’t be up for another one, would you?”

“For you, I will gladly go.”

You can feel yourself smile, and immediately shake yourself out of it. He’s probably just being nice. 

“I’ll meet you on Lua? Lotus has a mission for us there.”

“Lua? Alright, if you’re sure.”

“What do you mean?”

“Nothing, I’ll meet you there.”

==============================

Lotus has sent you on mobile defence missions before. You wonder why Limbo was unsure of this. 

There’s also a blip of apprehension from Mirage that has lasted about the entire mission so far, and you’re too distracted shooting down the Grineer running at you to give it a look. She has been giggling and laughing as you down your enemies though. And just as you think that, you land and bow with a flourish, calling forth your doppelgangers. 

“Oh dear.” you hear him say over your comms. 

“What happened?”

“I believe I’ve been scanned.”

Scanned?

And this is when you remember. Sentients.

Oh. Oh no. That’s not good.

You check your map, Limbo’s at least a hundred meters away. They’ll be here any second now. 

You feel your heart pounding fast in your chest, and pulses of what can only be described as electricity flash through your veins.

Mirage isn’t laughing anymore.

You take down one last Grineer trying to bash at the terminal and get into a defensive stance. 

Any second now. 

“Mirage, a handful of them got past me.”

There.

A Battalyst and a pair of Conculysts hover into the room. 

There they are. 

You start shooting. 

And Mirage’s screams fill your head.

You focus your fire on the Conculysts, and eventually Limbo runs into the room to help you. 

The screaming hasn’t stopped. 

_Mirage? Mirage what’s wrong?_

She doesn’t reply, and there’s a pulse of energy in your arms, as if she’s tugging your hands up, nudging you to keep shooting.

“Mirage! On your left!”

You look over just in time to see the Battalyst hovering towards you. 

The screams get louder as you unlink from your frame. Stepping out to blast it with a void beam, and in a second you’re back in your frame, putting a few good rounds into it, and finally it goes down.

The echoes of the scream still linger. And you feel a dull thumping all around your mind, like encroaching thunder. 

You feel pain, fear. Slowly subsiding. 

_Mirage?_ you think aloud. There’s no answer. 

“Mirage, are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” You reply, breathless and wide-eyed. 

You don’t know what just happened.

================

Later in your orbiter, you think. You look around your shared mindspace. 

And there’s a pulse of determination, but tainted with the sting of revenge. It glows red, angry and fearful. 

There’s a string of what seems like noise echoing around the perimeters of your mind. 

You look closer at it, and your mind’s eye pries it open. The string explodes into a chittering of madness, garbled speech and broken screams. 

_No, not again, I can win this time, I can fight, I can kill. They will go down, I will fight, I will fight!_

_Mirage?_ you think aloud. 

_I will fight, I can take them. Even if I fall, I can be put back together. I can destroy them, let me destroy them! Give me one more chance! Please!_

The ache of fear threatens to tear your minds apart and you try and soothe her. You unlink from your frame, stepping towards her and taking her hands. Mirage stands silently, though you know that inside she is crying. 

You think of soothing things, the smooth feel of reloading your weapons in a fluid movement, the freeing feel of twirling through the air as you leap and spin. You broadcast your calm thoughts to her, and slowly, bit by bit, you link back together. 

The screaming has stopped, which is good. But there’s a soft whimpering, sad and fearful, but slowly subsiding. Soon a calm washes over you like waves on a shore.

Silence takes your minds again.

==============================

Limbo has been asking if you’re alright since that mission. 

And you say you’re okay. 

Can’t say the same for Mirage though. 

Things have gone back to normal, you think, ever since then. You still call and talk to him, you still run missions together, but now the both of you try and avoid the places with too many Sentients. 

Your heart still aches. 

You really do love him. 

But nothing has changed between you. He still treats you as a close friend, and you don’t see anything that could hint at you being… closer.

This is where the realisation hits you. That he’s not going to see you as anything more. That you shouldn’t try and push him into loving you back. 

You decide that this isn’t working. 

The more you talk to him, the more you see him, the more your heart aches. The more you realise that this can go nowhere. 

Something inside your chest feels like it’s bent and twisted and you feel the strain and pull almost like an echo. 

It hurts. 

It hurts that he’ll probably never know. No, he shouldn’t ever know. 

Though you’re free from Orokin reign, you’re still afraid. You think of the couple being torn apart all those years ago. 

You don’t think you can handle that. 

And that’s assuming he’ll even reciprocate. 

You decide you’re going to forget. He’ll just be a friend to you now. There was never a chance with him, you don’t know what Khora saw. You think maybe she was trying to cheer you up. 

That doesn’t matter now.

You’ve made up your mind. 

You’re going to suppress your feelings for him, and you’re going to just… be a friend. No matter how much this is gonna hurt. 

And in the dim light of your link pod you feel a tear roll down your cheek.


	4. Do You Remember Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You’ve been getting pulses lately, little blips of feeling from Limbo. 
> 
> So you give him a look over in your arsenal, and you somehow feel him looking back.

It’s been a long time since you looked at Limbo. Not just stepped out of your frame, but really looked. You remember the first time you did, just after you were woken. After you got into your orbiter after years of sleep, starting up the machines, running system tests. 

You remember stepping out of your frame, feeling hollow and naked as you stood before your arsenal. You remember looking at the black and white and glowing blue. And feeling almost unnerved as he stood staring back. 

You haven’t stepped out of your frame for more than an hour since then. 

Yet here you are, before your arsenal, just as you stood many months, or maybe years, before. 

You look over your frame, the same black and white and blue, and slowly you reach out, and you link with him. 

Bit by bit your consciousness merges, and gradually you look around your mindspace, a comfortable place, permeated by little blips and shreds, as if Limbo’s own mind is half in and half out of the rift. 

You are reminded of that rumour, the one that said that all frames were sentient. And you wonder how true that is. 

Sure Limbo can poke at the back of your mind, and so can he react to your thoughts, you feel the pulse of his heart sometimes, from fear, from pride, from sorrow. 

You can feel his conscience here, ghost-quiet and hovering all around, but not fully here. 

He watches you, puzzles over you for a moment, and then like waves on a shore, the feeling of familiarity washes over you both. The comforting feeling of floating in space takes you.

Limbo doesn’t have sentience, not really. Or so you think. The blips and prods aren’t always intentional, sometimes it’s just random noise, hazy like static. Sometimes images surface, or numbers, things you don’t really understand or remember. 

You wonder if it’s from the time he was lost in the rift. 

Suddenly you feel odd, as the awareness of where this stream of thoughts is going finally hits you. It’s unlike you. 

So you stop. 

You distract yourself, you think about something else, anything. A mission maybe? Or- 

A prod. 

Limbo presents you with something. Another image, this time of someone. 

This is where you find yourself thinking of her. 

You like Mirage. Or really, her operator. 

That’s a given. You enjoy her presence, she’s an excellent duelist, her with her doppelgängers and double pistols. You admire her drive to complete any mission, her endurance in battle. You like that she’s odd and eccentric and funny. 

You think she’s got a rather nice laugh, and filtered through her frame it sounds like wind chimes. 

You feel a pulse in the back of your mind, Limbo’s prodding. A snarky jab at you. _Really?_ he seems to say.

You do like her. But… ‘liking’ her is really an understatement.

Your heart begins to beat faster just thinking about her. 

She’s been on your mind a lot lately, apart from the chatting from your orbiter and the banter on missions, there’s always a thought of her floating around your head. 

Another pulse, this one feels like soft laughter.

You wander to your chat logs, scrolling through the history, it’s a nearly daily occurrence now.

You’ve liked her since the beginning. It’s been over a year already. And Limbo hasn’t stopped poking and prodding you to find more chances to meet up with her. 

It did simmer down for a while, when Lotus didn’t pair you up for missions, preferring to match you both with others who were more suited to your skills. But now that you have more free reign over your missions, you’ve been asking her to join you almost exclusively. 

You do wonder if she’s ever going to notice you though. You wonder if your attempts at charming her are working. 

You’d… really like for her to notice you.

There’s a pulse in your chest, but this one is… odd. 

It feels layered, as if coming from two adjacent sources. 

_Limbo?_ you think aloud. 

The pulse grows stronger. 

Limbo, what’s going on?

There’s a feeling here. One that you recognise, the butterflies in your stomach and the thumping heart. 

Oh. Well then. 

You suppose Limbo’s got some sentience after all. 

==============================

It’s been a quiet few days. 

Your missions have been rather sparse lately, and you’ve been left to yourself more often than not. You don’t mind though, it’s been nice to just relax and wander around Cetus or the relays. There’s a calm that you haven’t felt in… a long time.

So here you are, in your orbiter, looking through nodes in navigation, and your finger hovers over one spot on Lua.

Somewhere you can only go when you’re part of a specific team. Or when Lotus allows. 

A facility that kept all the cryopods of every Tenno. 

You’ve been there once. 

And you remember.

The room was still, but for the beeping of machines and blinking lights. 

You remember stepping in, and seeing the cryopod lined up against the wall. 

You head to the panel on the side, tapping in some commands, and after a moment mist began to pour from the pod as it opened. 

After a moment, the frame within stirred. A frame you’ve been working on for weeks, hunting for components at Lotus’ direction, specially modifying the foundry in your own orbiter to handle building such a thing. You had to specially transport her here, place her into a pod to stabilise her, start the systems working. 

Her with her pink and lilac skin and bony white protrusions, a white mask of a face and pink eyes. 

Mirage. 

You remember walking along the row of cryopods, in the other room that housed all the Tenno, trying to find the one who could link with the newly made frame. 

And you stopped in front of one. And you knew, looking at the girl inside, that she would be perfect. The pulse in your chest must have confirmed it. 

You remember activating her somatic link, watching as the sync rate immediately spiked into the mid eighty percent range, slowly climbed higher. And you knew you picked well. 

Here you stand, while the frame steps out, and you offer a hand to steady her. And as your fingers met you felt a little spark in Limbo’s chest. 

You remember that day well. And you don’t think you’ll ever forget it. 

You suppose that was the day he fell in love. 

(You also suppose that was the day you did too.)

==============================

It takes you a moment to steady yourself, after remembering such a thing. 

Because it takes you a whole moment for the pain to set in. 

The memory is nice, sure. From a time where you simply liked her, a pure sensation. Not the bittersweet feeling in your chest right now.

==============================

There’s an ache in both your chests, Limbo’s and yours. The dull throb of someone in love, though you know your feelings won’t be requited. 

Oh dear, you really do love her. 

This is no surprise though. 

You’ve loved her ever since you saw her. When she was woken you were the one to steady her as she stepped from the cryopod. When she spoke to Lotus for the first time in years you watched her, hoping she’d just glance your way. 

You wish she remembered. You do. 

You remember her long black hair and those gleaming violet eyes that seem to glow like twin stars. You remember the dusting of freckles like a nebula across her cheeks. 

She’s beautiful. And you wish you knew her name. 

There’s still that spark of hope inside you, that she would remember her awakening. They usually don’t. In fact you don’t even remember yours. You know Excalibur was the one who woke you. This you know from the conversations from your rehabilitation training. From little blips and flashes of a silhouette off to the side when you first spoke to Lotus. 

There’s a lead weight in your head and hanging off your heart as you think, _she won’t remember me_. 

You remember that pulse in your chest, Limbo’s nudges at the back of your mind; his probing and prodding to speak to her, be close to her, do anything to be around her. 

Limbo loved Mirage. 

You loved the girl who linked with her. 

Limbo sends a gentle prod at the back of your mind. A questioning poke, wondering if you’re okay. 

You... aren’t really. 

She’s been avoiding you as of late. Her greetings more formal, less excited to hear from you. Her speech is more focused during missions, she no longer engages with your witty banter as much. 

It hurts. 

You wonder if you just came on too strong. If you tried too hard to push her into loving you back. 

You have to reach a hand out to steady yourself again as you make your way back to your personal quarters.

You can feel your chest tighten and your breathing become laboured. Each inhale sparks an inferno in your throat. 

You love her. 

You want her and your heart aches with the dream of love. An echo, hovering around your mind and giving you no rest. 

You know she won’t reciprocate. And knowing that hurts more than the hits you take every mission.

It takes you a moment. 

A moment to stifle the tears building in your eyes, and the heart monitor in your link pod beeps in a mild panic. 

You love her. 

You love her and you want to tell her, but you know she won’t love you back.

==============================

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took far too long to finish aaaaaa i promise the next one will be out faster


	5. Requited

The silence is killing you. 

It’s been almost two weeks since you decided to try and stop loving him. And now he’s avoiding you too. 

There have been no calls in the orbiter, no snarky banter, no fun missions together. 

And the silence is probably going to drive you insane. 

At least Lotus is calling on you again.

She’s sent you on a handful of missions with Frost recently, and he’s… well. Cold. 

He’s very focused and stern and you suppose you needed that. After your missions with Limbo, you can barely hold back a joke or two now. 

It’s a good reminder, you think again, for actual missions where you should be focused on the task at hand.

It hasn’t been comfortable. 

Mirage’s silence these past few days has been deafening too. 

It’s not as if she’s stopped prodding your mind or sending little pulses your way. But it’s... lessened. Both in frequency and in volume. 

It feels weird. And you wonder if you’ve made the right choice. 

Limbo wouldn’t love her. And his operator wouldn’t love you. Better to forget right now than to suffer the endless longing for the rest of your lifespan. 

You can’t deny it doesn’t hurt though. The jokes that you force yourself to just nod and ‘hmm’ at. The times you said “stay focused” instead of replying to him. 

No matter how good-natured you try and seem it’s just painful.

But what did you expect? This isn’t like tearing off a medipatch: It’ll hurt until you finally get it through your head that he won’t love you. 

You grit your teeth and aim your guns up at the Grineer running your way. 

You need a distraction. Some distance from him. That’s why pairing with Frost was a good idea. He barely talks, barely makes witty comments. Barely even knows you. 

“All clear here” he says over the comms.

“Clear on my end too” you reply. 

“I’ll meet you at extraction. I’ve got the data we need.”

You want to reply but you just nod. And step over the bodies as you twirl your guns to reload. Just in case some trouble comes your way. 

===========================

The interim is a dull existence. 

No missions to go on, nothing new to do. 

You do meet with Jathi though, in her orbiter. At this point it’s been about three months since you last spoke. 

“So what’s new?” she asks, when you step out of your frame in the landing bay. She runs a hand through her dark hair.

She was built sturdier than you, with red-brown eyes and squarish features. She always kept her hair short, and it fluffed up in waves around her head. 

Now she walks with you into her personal quarters, and she gestures for you to sit with her on the narrow couch. 

“I’ve been running more missions with Limbo recently.” you say, as she hands you a cup of tea.

“Yea. I saw you at the relay a while back. How is he?”

“He’s uh… He’s okay.”

“That doesn’t sound very okay.”

“Well, it’s not really his fault.”

She squints at you. “What do you mean?”

“Long story.”

“We got some time.” she says, smirking, and she takes a sip of her tea.

It does take some time to explain yourself. And by the time you’re done, the pot is empty and she’s getting more hot water. 

“So what you’re saying is that you’re being kind of a dumbass.”

“Wh-”

“You like him- no you love him. And you don’t want to take the chance to y’know, try?”

“He doesn’t feel the same, what am I supposed to do?”

“Not be scared, for one.” she says with a shrug.

You open your mouth to reply and she puts a hand up to stop you. 

“Look, would you really rather not know and pine for the rest of your lifespan or would you rather get a definitive answer? If he doesn’t feel the same, then too bad, you’re a great catch in my book.” 

You shoot her a look.

“And if he does, then good for you.”

You think for a moment. 

And you nod. 

_Yes._ you think. _At least try._

===========================

Your next Mission from Lotus puts you back with Limbo. A mobile defence on Sedna this time. This shouldn’t be too difficult. 

Just keep your cool and it’ll all be fine. 

Or that’s what you tell yourself as you step out of your orbiter and into the galleon. But then you see him, and your heart begins pounding loud in your chest. 

“Mirage. Nice to see you again.” he says a little coldly. 

“Hey.”

“I heard you ran a mission with Frost recently. How was he?”

“Quiet, actually. And really focused.”

“That’s… nice. I guess?”

You nod. 

“Well. Shall we?” he says, gesturing to the rest of the path before you. And you nod again, taking off into a sprint beside him. 

You dash through the ship. Some Grineer try to give chase but they’re too slow. 

That and Limbo’s already taken down the bigger threats in the path ahead. 

You round a corner and head to the terminal, inserting the datamass. 

_I’m in, Tenno. This will take a moment._

You heft up your Sybaris. 

The Grineer fall in waves, and together you and Limbo cleave through the encroaching forces. You see his form waver for a moment, pulling a handful of Grineer into the rift with him, and out of the corner of your eye you see him methodically pull in each successive wave. 

You call forth your doppelgangers with a smile. 

You missed watching him.

_By the stars that sounds creepy_ , you think, shrugging the thought off. 

A bullet jump and a twirl puts you right beside him just as you shoot down an eviscerator. Another twirl and you down a scorpion that was trying to hook him. 

“You missed one.” you say, smiling. 

He glances over at the corpse.

“So I did.” he says.

The Grineer are beginning to swarm into the room again. 

“Shall we?” you say, reloading your gun, the flirty lilt returning. 

“Let’s.” he says, and in his voice you can hear his smile.

The dance begins, at first uncertain, and then your waltz resumes, as if you’ve never stopped. 

Your energy glows bright, pink and blue streaks glimmer in the dim of the galleon’s interior. They fall to your blades and bullets, with the sound of gunshots like applause to urge you on. 

It’s a welcome change. 

And you think that this will pull him towards you, perhaps he’ll love you as you love him. 

You can feel Mirage’s laughter bubble in the back of your throat again.

_Mission complete, get to extraction._

“Time for us to take our bows.” he says, and in his voice you hear joy.

You laugh. “Goodbye and farewell!” you giggle, and together you dart to extraction. 

You take turns taking potshots at random Grineer you pass along the way. And with a promise to meet at Orcus, you step into your orbiters and fly away. 

==============================

It’s a quiet flight, and a short one. 

But your chest feels light, and your lips pulled into a smile. 

Limbo’s ship docks about the same time yours does. And he tips his hat as he sees you. 

“It’s been a while since we’ve had such fun on a mission.” you say.

“Yea. It has.” he replies, a waver in his voice. 

Though you aren’t sure if it’s an effect of the frame. 

You wander the relay with him for a while, just catching up for the short time you were apart. 

It’s nice. You missed this. 

And now with a little hope in both your hearts, you smile and laugh and joke. The ache of the weeks past slowly seeps away. You think he feels that too. 

Every so often your hands brush, and you find your cheeks growing warm, silently thankful that he can’t see your face. 

It’s when you head back to your orbiters that he speaks again. 

“Mirage.” He says, hesitant, as you stop to look at him. “I need to talk to you,” 

Your heart pulses, thudding loud in your chest.

 

He glances down at his feet, “Did I do something? You avoid me half the time and suddenly we’re back to normal? I’m- What is going on?”

You look at him. “I- ” 

You look away. 

“Mirage, talk to me. Please?”

You can’t. What would you say? What should you say? How would you explain this?

There’s suddenly a blip of an idea. 

“Follow me. I’ll explain everything in a bit,” you say, and step into your ship. 

During your brief flight to Mars, you say nothing. You hear a crackle over your comms every now and then. As if he’s trying to say something. 

Your ship slows to a halt when you’re floating above the planet, just off the rail.

You activate your comms. “Come to my orbiter.” 

“Alright…?”

“And- and be ready to step out of your frame.”

There’s a stunned silence, and for those few seconds you wonder if you requested too much. You wonder if you scared him away. 

The silence lingers, and you feel it encroach like a swarm of daggers all aiming for your heart. 

You open your mouth to speak, and are interrupted.

“Give me a few minutes.” 

==========

The few minutes of pacing as you awaited the approaching archwing could almost be described as agonising. The echoes of Mirage’s pulsing heart overlaid with yours nearly drove you into a sensory overload. As the seconds ticked by you wondered if he’d ever really show up. 

And then you hear it. The sound of the launch bay turning. 

All you get is a good two seconds of stepping towards him, when his operator unlinks from his frame and steps out. 

You weren’t quite prepared for that. 

You did not expect Limbo’s operator to be this handsome.

“Well? What did you want to talk about.”

You are kind of stunned for a moment, looking into bright hazel eyes. 

You take a deep breath. “Follow me.”

You bring him to you link pod, and he gingerly steps into the room, uncertain or maybe unwilling to even be here. 

Mirage stops walking as you unlink with her and you emerge. 

You step outside, calm as you can manage. And you see him sharply inhale. It’s slight, you almost miss it. You see him clench his fist, look away for a second. 

You walk forward. Heart racing, no echo this time. 

“I uhh… have some explaining to do.”

“Clearly.”

You nod, looking down, away, anywhere that isn’t at him. 

“Well? What did you want to say?”

You don’t look at him as you say this. “I- I can’t help but avoid you sometimes. I don’t mean to. I- I just have to or I’ll-” you inhale. “Get distracted.”

He doesn’t speak, doesn’t move. You continue.

“It’s not your fault. I just can’t focus when I’m with you. You’re so- You’re amazing.” you say, and finally look up. 

He’s got a strange look in his eye. 

“When we fight together my heart races, when I see you I smile, even if it’s just you passing by. When you took my hand, way back when, I-” you gulp. “I just…”

“What are you saying?” he asks, low and quiet, and his voice makes you want to melt. 

You suppose this is the part where you metaphorically leap out a window.

“I think I love you.”

There’s stillness for a while. Where you do nothing but look at each other. You look at those eyes with the flecks of gold and green, you look at mussed brown hair and long lashes. 

His lips move. But you don’t register. 

A smirk as he takes the two steps towards you and wraps his arms around you. He pulls you into an embrace and you stiffen and relax at the same time. 

You have not had comfort in a very long time. 

You gingerly curl your arms around him, heart still racing, lungs still burning. 

And just when you wanted to lean your head onto his shoulder, he pulls away and smiles. 

You want to dissolve at that smile.

His hand reaches up to caress your cheek. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t hoping for that.”

You just. Blink at him. Not fully processing. 

“I’m trying to say I love you too.”

The next minute passes in a blur. 

You just remember taking his hand.

Your heartbeat surges in your chest as you vaguely remember movement. You just feel a calming warmth fill your body, and a grip tighten on your hand. 

Memory resumes when you are in your personal quarters standing before the meditation area. 

And you suddenly just stop, and you look at him. 

He stands before you in a suit of white and blue, edged in gold and glimmering like his eyes. 

He reaches out, and you go to him. Stepping into his embrace once again. He’s a bright contrast to you, you in blacks and deep purples. But what does that matter when all you see are those eyes, that smile.

You are but two figures silhouetted by stars. 

“It’s probably a rather odd time to ask your name.” he says, pressing his forehead to yours. 

You hold him a little tighter. 

“Eona,” you whisper. 

“Eona. Lovely.”

“What’s yours?”

“Xanthos.” 

And you notice there’s something different to his voice. There’s not his usual charismatic confidence, nor the mildly flirtatious tone. It feels unnaturally natural, rid of the filters that accompany frame to frame conversations. 

You stand in silence for a little longer. Just enjoying the feel of his hands around your waist. Shifting as if in tune with some imaginary music. 

“I’ve- I’ve wanted this”, you say softly. 

“So have I. I’ve wanted this... for a long time” he replies. 

He tips your chin up. And you watch him look at you, follow his eyes as trail across your features.

And he presses his lips to yours.

You stiffen for a moment. Not daring to move, not knowing if you can.

And then you kiss him back. 

You kiss him like he’s water in a desert. His lips are soft and he’s so warm and he’s holding you like the universe would end tomorrow. 

He loves you. You think. 

Before you finish the thought he kisses you harder, a confirmation. 

You love him too. You think. 

_Now let’s see where this goes._

=========

It’s quite a while after the first kiss that you finally break apart. Yet not fully: you lay beside him, nude and hands clasped. Watching the shape of his torso be outlined by stars. 

You get up for a bit. And he watches as you grab a blanket from a nearby storage unit. 

“Well you’re awfully prepared for this.” He quipped, a half smirk forming on his face. 

You just toss the blanket to him and you climb beneath it; good thing you both had the mind to move the tea set first. 

You curl up beside him, and he shifts so that he faces you. And lays a gentle hand on your waist. 

You gingerly reach a hand to caress his shoulder, and slowly move it to his chest. You swear you can feel the heart beat beneath your palm. 

The kisses that come after are slow and languid. 

Not as needy as you thought, and soft as feather down. Something savoured after months of pining. A little requiem for a little death. 

==============================


	6. Harlequin

The dreams that come after are strange. 

You dream of warped butterflies. You recall, picturing Titania’s companions, the little creatures that flutter around her, but not exactly, they glitch and scatter before reforming, their wings displaying images of… something. 

Sometimes you dream of yourself reaching out to touch them, and they trigger more images when you do.

Once was a dream where you saw through the eyes of someone walking through a corridor, obviously of Orokin make, gilded gold and high ceilings. They turn a corner and head down a flight of stairs, past a twisted white tree.

Another was similar, through another’s eyes but walking towards a big ship, a frigate possibly. You don’t know. 

There’s a familiar spark of light as well, and a familiar feeling, as if someone was poking you with an invisible stick. 

Just for that you get up and scrutinise Mirage after each dream, and her beady pink eyes seem to scrutinise you back.

==============================

You tell Jathi about him first. 

“What did I tell you?” she says, smirking. You’re back in her orbiter, with another cup of tea.

You nod, smiling. You’re glad, you suppose without her, you wouldn’t have your sweet boy now.

“Well I-” you start. 

“You guys fucked yet?”

“Jathi!”

“I’m taking that as a ‘yes’.”

“Shut up.”

She laughs, low and raspy. And you try and flush the warmth from your cheeks. 

“Hey, I’m glad for you. You got yourself a lover.”

“Yea,” you reply, “I’m glad too.”

==============================

Another dream comes after a storm on Cetus.

It takes a while to settle on your pile of blankets and pillows, now cushioning the hard base of the meditation area, and you drift. 

The butterflies return again. And you reach out as a large one, wings glitched and body distorted, lands on your outstretched palm. 

And you see. 

You are… yourself. But a long time ago. 

You had forgotten this happened.

You do, however, remember stepping into this place, a ship now infested. You were to clear the infestation and bring something back. Lotus was short on frames, the rest fighting bigger battles, or already teamed up. 

You remember the sound of a scanner going off, and sentients pouring into the room. You feel your heart race, in the dream and in reality. You’re struggling to wake up. 

The sentients come, and you fight, Mirage calls forth her doppelgangers, and you take aim, blasting them to bits, and when the bullets run out you draw your blade. 

She shreds them limb from limb, but reinforcements arrive. 

The frame lets out a scream, far too real to be just a dream, and they pin you down. 

You can feel your body try to move, try to wake up, just lift a finger and the rest of the arm will follow, but paralysis has taken you. 

It’s too real, you feel the sentient claws on Mirage’s skin, the hooks that hold her to the ground, you smell the stagnant sludge and the decay of sickened flesh, you hear… a high screeching noise. A voice speaks from within your frame, but it’s not yours.

_We’ll meet again, Lotus. One day._

And a white heat sears your being. 

You jolt awake. A cold sweat soaks your skin and tears trail down your cheeks. You look over at your frame in the doorway, just standing guard. 

Unfazed or maybe unknowing of what you dreamt. 

You breathe, in and out, in and out, until a calm takes you once again. 

==============================

Your missions are run almost exclusively with him now, and it’s a nice existence. 

In your frames you fight together, your gentle waltz now a spirited tango. Your laughter and banter now taking on a note of happiness, knowing that you found each other. 

Out of your frames you spend most of your time together. Your frames standing watch together outside the door to your personal quarters, hands barely touching.

Within, you sit with Xanthos, watching the stars above Venus, wrapped in a blanket and each other. 

You sit together in silence, just enjoying each other’s company. You close your eyes as you lean against him, and you can feel his arm around you, fingers tracing shapes on your shoulder.

“That was a good mission.” he says, and you feel his lips press against your head.

You smile and nod. “It was.”

You’re getting used to his voice out of his frame. And you suppose he’s getting used to being out of his frame too.

 

“Do you… get dreams sometimes?” you ask, just staring out the window. 

“I have a feeling you aren’t talking about the usual dreams.” he replies, and you can hear the smile in his voice. 

“No” 

“Probably not, then.” 

You nod. 

“Do you… do you remember what it was like? Before Excalibur found your frame again?”

He shifts to give you a puzzled look. “Bits and pieces. Little fragments.”

“What do you remember?”

You watch as he takes in a breath, he glances away for a moment before meeting your gaze once again. 

“I remember… fighting. I have a vague memory of picking up a Destreza for the first time. And- and a file. Full of calculations.” A chuckle, “though I don’t remember how I managed to write all that.”

He exhales through his nose and you see bronze eyelashes flutter. 

“And you?” he smiles.

“I remember how I lost my frame.”

You immediately feel Xanthos pull you closer, his other hand come to rest on your cheek. 

“It’s okay, I- I’m glad I remember. It hurt to do it but I’m glad.”

He nods, uncertain. 

Silence takes you again.

You shut your eyes, and a voice comes into your head.

_We’ll meet again, Lotus. One day._

And something inside you ticks. 

There’s a welling of something pulsing inside your chest. Like a lake pushing against a dam. 

You let the floodgates open. 

“What are we without memories? How do we have our distinct selves?” you ask, as your eyes open. 

A pause. 

“We are nothing. Our personalities are based on memories.”

“And what if our memories are gone? What then?”

“We- we become different. No longer the people we once were.”

You look at your hands, linked, staring at the way your fingers intertwine. “Then what of our frames then?”

“What?”

“They have personalities, they have little idiosyncrasies that make them unique to us. And us to them.”

“O-okay?” he says, a questioning glint in his eye and concern on his face.

You look at your hands again. 

He tilts your face up to meet his gaze, “You’re asking odd things. Is something wrong?”

Your lips part to answer, then you shake your head.

“Eona, what is it? Is something wrong with Mirage?”

You think a moment, “What if… what if she isn’t just a frame? What if she’s got memories too?”

“But she shouldn’t. Frames don’t have memories.”

“But they have thoughts, feelings, they poke and prod at our minds. There have to be some memories in there, even broken ones. Or they won’t have the personalities they do… would they?” You glance up at him. 

He’s looking at you like you’ve got stars aglow in your eyes. 

“But what if that’s just us? Our own personalities just- imprinting on our frames? What if they’re just mirroring how we are and how we think?”

“It can’t be… I- I’ve seen things…”

“Things?”

“Memories, not mine but through another’s eyes.”

There’s something in his eyes, almost like relief, but different. 

_Recognition._

“You’ve seen it too, haven’t you?”

He nods. 

“What did you see?” you say, excitement clear in your voice.

“I’ve seen… someone who is me and not me, walking in an Orokin compound. A headquarters or somewhere important. And I’ve seen, others, talked to them, nothing fancy, just one word or a sentence.” 

Xanthos inhales again, but shakily. “I remember seeing Dax. Lots of them, while passing a window…”

You look up with intrigue.

He speaks. “I think… I think I was one of them.”

Something clicks inside you. 

You nod. Silence takes you again, but not a tranquil one. There’s a stunned buzz in the air. 

“Those… those memories.” he begins, glancing down at you. “Those weren’t ours, were they.” 

You shake your head. 

You glance back at the door. 

“They remember too.” you whisper. 

“That explains so much.” he continues.

You look back at each other, and a beat passes before he asks, “What are we going to do?”

==============================

There’s a memory here. Something from before the war, a mote of light in the darkness that is your past. 

It gives off a warm feeling, something that you remember fondly, but until now, you didn’t remember at all. 

Your mind’s eye peers closer. 

A memory unfolds, of a long corridor within an Orokin compound. Bright white torches like pulsars light the way as an overseer leads you by the hand. 

He’s tall and sculptured like all Orokin are. He’s got a trailing cape on one shoulder. It’s embroidered with metallic threads, and you long to just reach over and touch it. Just to feel its texture. 

He grins down at you every so often as he walks with you, for you were a small thing then, and with his height and build, you felt smaller still.

You try and scratch at your skin, but they’ve made you wear this strange suit that made you feel like you were coated in gel. 

“Just a little longer, little one.” he says.

You were singled out from your batch. There were seven of you, and the other six watched with curious eyes as you were called forth and brought away. 

You keep wanting to ask where you were going, but silence was good. Being obedient was good. So you kept your mouth shut as you went with him. And soon enough he brought you to a room. A small one, with the far end lined with pods. Mist filled them, swirled like a fog behind the glass. 

He brings you to one of them, and he turns to you. Smiling again. 

“This is a special present for you Tenno. Her name is Mirage, and we made her just for you.”

He taps the panel beside the pod, and it opens. 

Mist pours out, and you see this creature, monster, _thing_ inside.

She’s got pink and lilac skin and bony things coming out from her limbs. And those beady pink eyes that seemed to stare into your soul. 

A scary thing, but beautiful. That much you knew, even at your young age, you knew. 

“Go on, Tenno.” the overseer says, gently nudging you, “Take her hand. You know what to do.”

You blink at him for a while. Reaching out, but you hesitate, you glance up at him again, worry plain on your face. 

“Don’t worry, small one, she won’t hurt you. She’s yours.” 

You shake your head nervously, and the overseer makes a grimace, then a grin.

“Go on now, she was made specially for you. And we don’t waste our gifts now do we?”

You shake your head again, in agreement this time. 

“Don’t be afraid Tenno. You’re a survivor of the Zariman, you’re a brave one. Aren’t you?” he says.

You nod. And with a gulp you step closer and take her hand. 

And your vision goes black as the tendrils of your mind reach into hers. 

And you feel a prodding all around your mind, curious, questioning, judging. You almost jolt out of it but he like he said, you’re a brave one. So you keep pushing to stay. 

The prodding continues, and it takes apart your past and present, it pulls and peers into your memories, looking over and scrutinising everything you’ve ever done and everything you think you will do. And you feel the weight of a singular eye from a thousand points look over you. 

Just as you think you need to let go and run, the prodding stops. 

And silence takes you again. Slowly, slowly, the tendrils you think and extend grow into the creature’s mind, taking to it like roots to fertile soil. 

And then a single feeling emerges, from the creature, you know, and it feels like a welcome. 

You let go of her hand and your vision returns to you. 

Heart pounding, you look up at the overseer, who smiles at you, proud. 

You sniff and reach up to wipe away the wetness at the corners of your eyes, and you put on a determined face. 

“She’s truly yours now, Tenno. No one else can have her.” and he taps more buttons, and the pod closes once more. And he takes you back out of the room. 

Along the way, he reaches an arm down and hands you a sweet, all pink and glossy and sticky like sweets should be. 

And you take little nibbles of it on the way back, thinking, _I am a survivor of the Zariman. I am brave._

==============================

An idea forms in your mind, like smoke, abstract. Then growing more corporeal, a ball of light and words, a thought. You dare not touch it, dare not say it. Even in your mind’s quiet space you dance around the idea, and Mirage knows this too, for she joins you. 

It doesn’t take long for the idea to grow to a speaking size. A solid plan, possibly. 

_No… it could work. It might work._

You need to think, so you take a few deep breaths, and you open your comms.

“Xanthos?”

“Yes?”

“I have a thought.”

==============================


	7. We Shall Go Together

A thought leads to plans, and plans to action. 

It’s the first foray into such an endeavour, and yet the familiarity of it all seeps into your skin like stepping into a link pod. 

An odd warmth that first feels too cold, then evens out to a liquid caress, lacking all distinguishing temperature. And then nothing, as if you’ve slipped into your own skin again. 

This is the fourth day and the fourth ship you’ve dropped into. An abandoned Grineer Galleon, overgrown and overrun, you see tendrils of violet grime coating the walls and floor. Ordis’ scans show no sentients here, but neither does it show any signs of true life, untouched by the virus that once ravaged your home. 

In the dark, the murky hue of the infested sludge seems murkier. 

That didn’t matter, you knew what you came for. 

You leave some time later, a little winded and worse for wear, and return to Limbo’s waiting arms.

In the back of your mind you feel a jolt, an echo of a fluttering heart overlaid with yours. 

It’s been a very long time since you’ve ever felt completely at home. 

==============================

_Tenno, you have been slow to deliver recently._

_What is happening?_

“Just. Distractions, Lotus. Personal projects, nothing more.”

_Do not let this stray your purpose, Tenno._

“I won’t.”

The transmission ends, Lotus’ visage winking out of your orbiter. 

You sigh, head bowed and hands on the console. 

“You okay?” comes a loving voice.

“Yea.” you reply.

And you wander back to Limbo, twining your fingers with one hand, caressing his face with the other.  
He loops an arm around your waist, pulling you close. 

“She’s not angry is she?”

“I- I don’t think so.”

“Do you think she suspects?”

“No. Maybe. Probably not.”

“Those were three different answers.”

“I know…”

“As long as you’re sure. I’ll be here with you.”

You smile, though your frame doesn’t show it. 

“I know.”

==============================

And then you doubted your purpose just a week later. He tried to rationalise, as a scientist would, as _he_. would. But with a grasping hope and heart you spoke. Your frames standing silently, dutifully watching. 

“We must finish our plan. We- we’ve come too far to go back.” you start.

“But what if the consequence is worse than what we expect? What of the war?”

“This isn’t our war to fight. It has never been our war.” you said, more for yourself than for him.

“But we are the products of it. We can’t run from that.”

“Well so are they, but should they be part of it too? Forced to fight and die and be put back together again?”

“They are machines made for war. From flesh and bone and blade steel. They are our warframes. Their only purpose, all they know is death and killing. And if that’s their destiny then who are we to stop that?” he says, gentle as he can. 

You felt something much like a gash form across your heart. 

“And if it isn’t?”

“How is it not their destiny?”

“How is it ours to decide?”

And the room goes quiet. Though the air still buzzes with energy. 

“How is it fair that I can think and love and for that, be myself, while they can’t? Even though they can think and love and just be too. We can control our destinies. We can be the masters of our fates. But I just don’t see how it’s fair that we are masters of theirs too.”

Silence takes the room again. And in the stillness he watches you, looking at you as if you radiate solar flares. 

“We owe them so much.” you say, voice barely above a whisper.

He is silent.

“Don’t you think we at least owe them this? Just a chance. To be masters of their own bodies. Their own fates. We’ve given them one part of that.”

A tear rolls down your cheek. You look over at your frames, hands clasped, standing sentinels at the side of the room. 

“Don’t you think they deserve the other?”

An uneasy silence takes the room as you stare at each other. 

You cannot meet his gaze for more than a few seconds at a time. Your eyes dart, to his nose, his brow, his lashes.

You have such an urge to walk over and kiss him, but now is not the time.

“What do we tell Lotus?” he says. 

And you release a breath you didn’t even realise you were holding. 

“I don’t know.”

“We haven’t even solved all the issues of how we’re even going to do this.”

“I know.”

He exhales, running a hand through his hair. 

“You’re sure you want to do this.”

You nod. You’ve come too far now. 

He looks at you, a little bit resigned. “Okay.”

==============================

 

It takes time, but you work it out. 

Diverting missions to each other. When he is away, you manage the materials, craft the supplies you need. And when you are off, he works on the machines. 

And then a message comes in one day. 

From Excalibur.

==============================

“This is a breakthrough!” he said that day, pacing your orbiter, the hologram in hand. 

He played it over and over, and with each repetition, his grin grew wider. 

He flew over to your orbiter just to celebrate. 

His excitement was contagious, you could feel Mirage’s heart racing, just under the beat of yours. 

You remember the enthusiastic discussions after, shoving papers and toolkits and materials off the foundry’s workspace, newly modified and still smelling faintly of machine oil. 

You remember the experiments that came after, the tireless hours of working together and the hours of exhausted sleep, piled on top of each other in some odd corner. Too tired to even return to your personal quarters. 

And then the breakthrough happens. 

She moved.

On her own, Mirage got up, off the workspace and to Limbo, and placed a hand on his chest.

You and Xanthos were too stunned at first. 

Then she looked back to you, blinking, nodding, looking over her love, still propped up and ready for surgery.

“We did it.” Xanthos whispered, his hand finding yours, though you still clutched the still slick transference bolt, removed just minutes ago. 

==============================

You realise how much they’ve been missing each other when you get both bolts out. 

Your Mirage and his Limbo, just holding each other, admiring their new freedom. 

You realise with some slight embarrassment that that’s what you looked like at the start of your own romance. 

No wonder Jathi made fun of you. 

 

You could still transfer in and out of your frames, oddly enough. 

Xanthos explained something about how not all of the network was removed or something similar, but you didn’t fully understand, too busy in awe of how you could still step into your frame.

Mirage laughed at the back of your mind too, the idea of personal agency making her giddy with excitement. 

“What do we do about ourselves though?” he asked, as you were taking a break. 

Across from you Mirage was curled against Limbo, and if she could, you know she’d be purring. 

Ah. This conversation. You’d been avoiding it.

“I don’t know. We can’t exactly keep them for much longer, can we? It wouldn’t be fair.” you say, looking over at your frame.

“Your words, not mine.”

“We follow our original plan then?”

“Remake them but empty? That’s not really possible, you know that. The only parts for them were used for- well. Them.”

“What are we going to do?” you say, turning to him.

He looks into your eyes, then away, his search unsuccessful.

“I don’t know.” he says with a sigh. 

He gets up, reaching down to help you up. 

“But it is late,” he begins. “We’ve been up for nineteen hours. It’s time to rest.”

“On an actual space made for sleeping this time.” you reply with a chuckle.

“Goodnight you two.” he says, and you step into your personal quarters, the doors shutting behind you.

==============================

In the darkened room the two frames stir. 

They wander from machine to machine. As they reach the new foundry they look to each other. 

They look at the cluttered worktable, carefully considering. 

She nods, and they activate the foundry. The base plate lights come on, and slowly an energy field begins radiating from the floor plate to the ceiling. A low hum fills the room. 

They spend a minute in front of the console before stepping back, and from the plates a network of wires slowly starts climbing. 

_SYSTEMS: 001% - -_

They reach for their transference bolts on the worktable, and with one last glance, place it within the energy field. The wires climb towards it, and like silver grasping vines, they twist around the bolt, holding it in place.

The frames step back, admiring their work. And in the glow of the foundry they join hands. 

==============================

You awaken to silence, with an arm around Xanthos’ torso and a head of fading dreams.

You try and extract yourself from around him, but that just wakes him up. Stars lend light to give his face a slight glow, a good look on him, you think. In his hazel eyes, gold flecks glimmer, and you think that alone could outshine the sun.

The door opens with a pneumatic hiss as you step outside a few minutes later. Perhaps more ready now to start. 

You’re rubbing the sleep-dust from your eyes when you feel a hand on your shoulder. 

“Hmm?” you hum, and turn to see Xanthos with a look of awe on his face. 

This is when you see it. 

In your foundry two frames shimmer, not yet complete but almost there. On one platform stands a tall figure, lithe and slender with what looks like a top hat. On the other stands a harlequin, though perhaps not truly a harlequin, but a columbine. Beautiful and vivacious, streaks of bright pink mark her skin, and gleaming pink eyes watch you, a thin veil hiding laughter. 

The new frames shine white and gold, and in their almost-completion a rhythmic wave of light pulses over them. 

You stare at them, and you feel like your heart is going to just stop. 

You wonder if this is what it feels to see perfection. 

Above a little button on the foundry a hologram gleams. 

_MIRAGE PRIME: 100% - -_

_LIMBO PRIME: 100% - -_

_CONTINUE?_

There’s a buzzing in your ribs like static. You can’t seem to focus consciously on anything but your breaths as the room seems to chill around you.

What. What are those. 

You gape at Xanthos, who just looks back to you, surprise still written on his face, shining from those gold-green eyes. 

And then the dots start joining up. They were there too weren’t they, every mission, every expedition, every experiment. Maybe not obviously to you, but they were there. Watching, piecing their own thoughts together. Hatching their own plans. 

They could say nothing but they knew. They nudged you both in the right direction, and once they could, they finished the job themselves. 

You don’t think, just step forward. It takes a deep breath to steady yourself as you place your hand on the button. 

_CONTINUE?_

Yes. Yes, you should. You’ve come this far, there’s… no going back now. You wanted this, she wanted this. 

You’re doing this for her. 

(But where is she? Watching from some corner? Maybe.)

And yet there is no spur to prick the sides of your intent, and your hand still rests gently on the button. 

You look to Xanthos as he steps towards you, and in the glow of the foundry you join hands.

_CONTINUE?_

The foundry hums, almost insistent, and you look at the hologram floating just above your fingers. 

There is apprehension in your heart when you begin to think again. If this was the right path, if this was truly the best for you, for her, for him and him. Your hand trembles and you blink and swallow. What have you done? 

You feel your heart pulse in your chest, beating steady and fast and in time with the lights that pulse along the wires holding up your creations. Although, they weren’t really your creations anymore now were they? You weren’t the ones who started the foundry. 

It’s a cold silence, filled with racing thoughts and a storm of doubts and the hum of the machines before you. 

Yet in a second, the thoughts are banished as he reaches out. What started as a rushing torrent of emotion was silenced when he places his other hand over yours, and presses your hand down, activating the final construction process. 

You step back as you watch the foundry work. Bit by bit, the new frames are stitched together, you watch as flesh and bone and steel and wire coalesce. And as the machine completes its task you watch their eyes light up, one in blue and one in pink.

And you stand there, hands clasped and hearts racing, as the wire frames retract, as the energy field slowly dissipates. 

You look to each other again, eyes wide, just as you hear a launch bay door turning, and a pair of archwings taking off.

_Oh by the stars, what have you done?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you've read all the way to this point, thank you for sticking around!


End file.
